126 Former NFL Players File Class-Action Suit Against NFL Over Head Injuries

Plaintiffs include former Redskins QB Mark Rypien and First Round Pick Todd Marinovich

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According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Rypien was sacked 97 times during his 11-year NFL career.

Former Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns quarterback Mark Rypien is the lead plaintiff in a class-action suit filed by 126 former NFL players on March 23, which alleges the NFL hid information about the harmful long-term effects of head injuries.

Rypien, who suffered two concussions during his 11-year-career said in court documents that he “suffers from various neurological conditions and symptoms related to the multiple head traumas.”

Other players listed as plaintiffs include former first round pick and Los Angeles Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich and former Dallas Cowboys tight end Scott Galbraith.

Last week, New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton was suspended for a one year without pay for his part in the team’s bounty program, which rewarded players for hard hits on the opposition. The team was also forced to surrender two draft picks. Three other staff members affiliated with the program were fined and suspended.

"The game doesn't need to be played this way," NFL commissioner Roger Goodellsaid on NFL Network after the suspension was made public. "We think that while it is a strong message, it’s an important one to send -- that we need to protect our players."

There have been approximately 51 other suits filed against the NFL involving head injuries, according to NFLConcussionLitigation.com. Five of the 51 cases where wrongful-death suits.